Further Travels of a Night_Panda

Thursday 9th December

2010-12-10T01:23:00.008Z

I didn't think I'd get chance to write anything today, but we had a good day yesterday with lots of photos. So here's hoping the hotel internet holds up so I can post before I have to start packing.

Yesterday morning, we both had things to buy from different places, so NM went off to Fish Shop Street, while I shopped locally in Tseun Wan. They dont seem to see many white women on their own wandering about, so I was pointed at a bit!

After taking my purchases back to the hotel, I joined NM in Mongkok to meet his long-lost friend Tom for lunch. It is so good that these two have found each other again; we all keep talking about the co-incidences that led to the meeting. It surely was fate taking a hand.

After lunch, Ceci picked us up in the family car, so we were able to take a visit to Sai Kung. We had a lovely long walk all around the seafront, and more co-incidences prevailed. We got chatting to an English lady out walking her dogs, she lives in Sai Kung, and her husband was once one of Ceci's boss at Dragonair! Small World or what??

Then we drove back to our hotel and had dinner out locally. Ceci left for home as she had quite a journey to get back, and we took ourselves out again. Our hotel offers a free shuttle bus to it's residents so we hopped off to Tsim Sha Shui. A few more pressies later we came back to our hotel at about 1am.

The Christmas lights at The Peninsula Hotel

And now we have to get packed up, a job I hate every year! We don't fly until tonight, so we've kept the room for an extra day and don't have to rush out by midday. We've had the most brilliant holiday and spent time with great people.

And we've decided that if we go home and start saving immediately, we might just be able to come back again next year....

Wednesday 8th December

2010-12-09T01:54:00.007Z

This is going to be a very short post today. The internet conection is worse than ever today, more down than up, so I need to be speedy!

We spent Wednesday rushing around, trying to cross things off our "to do" and "to buy" lists. We started by a great bus ride to Tung Chung. Normally we'd take the MTR, which is mainly underground, but as we looked at the bus stops by the station a bus turned up which was going straight there. We got the front seats on the top deck, and some good photo opportunities!

The dry dockyard, where all the HK ships are brought for repair

From Tung Chung we got on the 23 bus, which winds its way up very precariously to the Big Buddha, the Po-Lin Monastery and the Ngong Ping Village, which was boasting a Christmas Village, snow and Xmas Foods. Oh dear! The day we went, the cable car (the Ngong Ping 360) was closed for maintenance, most of the shops were closed for stocktaking or renovation, and the food fair was a tent with "dinosaur legs" alias chicken, sweetcorn on sticks, and hot dog sausages. Not quite the Christmas fayre we're used to!

This water buffalo family have chosen the right place to live, by the monastery, as the Buddhist Monks love animals and are all vegetarian!

The monastery and associated shops has been commercialised, far too much in my honest opinion. I cannot compare the place we first visited 4 times ago with what we found there yesterday. Very sad and diasppointing. So we got almost straight back on the bus to go back down again.

From there we visited Central, and the Man Mo Temple, then the little shops and stalls nearby.

And on to Possession Point Park, where NM remembered seeing a pure white Clarius catfish last year.

He managed to spot it again, this year with a mate, who was black and even bigger than this big boy!

And then back to Prince Edward, Mongkok and the markets. We took a look at the street where the fire was earlier in the week - how very sad. The area is still cordoned off while the emergency services make it safe. You can see the burnt out ruins of the stalls, shops and flats above.

At 8pm we went off to meet NM's brother and sister-in-law for a farewell dinner. We had such a lovely time, chatting non-stop whilst eating humungous burgers, waffle fries and "monkey business" milkshakes! We were in the restaurant almost until their closing time. J&C should be visiting the UK again next summer so we're planning a repeat meal then!

Monkey business milkshake - vanilla icecream, milk, peanut butter, bananas,
whipped cream and peanuts, yum!

From there, the Night Market was calling NM, so although it was way past 11pm we went off to shop a little more. That is what we miss most when we return to the UK; apart from the Trafford Centre, everything closes so early.

Today we are meeting NM's long-lost friend for lunch, and tomorrow we'll be packing to come back home. We've had a fabulous time, done some amazing things, and spent time with great people. We'll miss it loads.

Tuesday 7th December

2010-12-08T00:43:00.020Z

Oh wow, we had such a brilliant day yesterday I hardly know where to begin. Except to say that I have ached in every muscle of my body all night, despite a hot bath and Nurofen before I went to bed! Yes, it was the day of the Bike Ride!

We got up and went to meet Ceci at Tai Wai Station, where she took us for breakfast/lunch/brunch. I had my trusty cheese and egg sarnie, this time in toasted bread, which was delish. Ceci and NM polished off a large bowl of noodles and spicy beef.

With coffees it all cost me the princely sum of £6.

Then we walked round to the bike rental shop. I don't mind saying that both NM and I were petrified, neither of us had ridden in about 30 years, and neither wanted to let everyone down by not being able to ride or falling off! The guy brought out bikes for us to try, and we wobbled about the pavement before heading off.

And then things got better! There is a complete network of cycle tracks alongside the Shing Mun River, and we cycled the distance of 3.5 MTR stops, about 7 miles, before cycling back.

If we lived here, we'd be cycling every weekend. Or if we had such suitable cycle ways at home I'm sure we'd buy bikes there too. Luckily, yesterday wasn't as hot as it has been, and there was quite a breeze so the journey was pleasantly warm rather than burning!

After dropping the bikes back, Ceci took us up the 1000 steps to the Monastery of 10,000 Buddhas. What an amazing place! This is the view as you approach the climb...

The whole way up is lined with gold buddhas, every one with a different face, pose and position!

He was one of my favourites

When we got to the top, this is what we found

It's a beautiful place, so peaceful, and so far off the ground!!

From here we climbed to another monastery further up into the hill, which is being renovated and certainly has the WOW factor!

This statue of Kuan Yin stands about 30 feet high!

And the hillside is just covered with more buddhas

I have so many more photos I could publish here, but the internet connection is so slow it's taking forever, and we're going out again shortly.

We took ourselves back down to Tai Wai for some refreshments, then back on the MTR to Shatin, where the rest of Ceci's family had arranged to meet us for dinner. There were 8 of us sitting round a table in a very nice restaurant sharing many delicious dishes. The whole Chinese way is so sociable, with everyone sharing and helping each other.

We gave Charmaine, Ceci's daughter, her Christmas present which she was allowed to open. She's the excellent Latin dancer, so we bought her a DVD of Strictly Come Dancing and had great fun trying to explain the concept!

She also had some artificial snow, so she could pretend to be English and a chocolate Advent Calendar which was admired by everyone.

So today we're off to the Po-Lin Monastery and Big Buddha, and the Ngong Ping Village. Tonight we are having dinner with NM's brother and sister-in-law before we return home late Friday night.

Monday 6th December

2010-12-07T01:19:00.008Z

When we got up this morning, we didn't realise what the day would bring!

Our plans kept changing today, so I ended up going back to the bead shops to finish shopping for my daughter-in-law's wishlist. NM decided to come with me and make sure I went the right way out of the station, haha, then he could go on to do some shopping in Fish Shop Street.

A bead shop, just for Manda :)

After getting waylaid looking at mobile phone cases, we eventually got to the bead shops and he then headed back to the station. On his way through a side street, he bumped into his old best friend from when he lived in Hong Kong. They hadn't seen each other for 12 years! Neither of them would normally have been in that area; it must have been fate.

We all had a drink together and made plans to meet up for a meal and a proper catch up on Thursday before we go home. What a lovely thing to have happened, we are both so excited!

But then, when NM arrived at Tung Choi Street, it was full of fire engines, ambulances and Police. There had been 3 arson attacks at 5am, many shops and stalls in the next street were totally destroyed and about 200 residents had to be evacuated.

http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=574&topicId=100020474&docId=l:1316977942&isRss=true

Even 12 hours after the attacks, the emergency services were all still present, and the residents were sheltering in a small park, some of them still in their nightclothes.

My favourite shop must be amongst those destroyed. The majority of the shop and stall owners had no insurance, and their shops were totally stocked up for Christmas. I hope the Police catch the man responsible, and quickly, before he ruins any other livelihoods.

And then this was our tea. Not very Chinese, but delicious all the same. Thanks Pizza Hut!

And today? No laughing at the back, but we're going bike riding through the New Territories!

Anyone who knows us will be laughing hysterically at this point. I haven't ridden a bike for about 30 years, and neither of us are exactly built for the activity any longer, but Ceci thinks it's an excellent idea. It's pretty hot and sunny still, so we have to buy sunhats as well, but carry jackets for later. We've got a busy few final days coming up, with lots already planned, and I can see both of us being unable to move much tomorrow....

Until then, dear readers. Think of us and our saddle sores as you toddle off to work today ;)

Sunday 5th December

2010-12-05T15:52:00.023Z

We've had a fab day today!

We decided to have a day out using the Hong Kong tram system. The trams are the oldest form of public transport in HK, and they have the World's largest operating fleet of double decker tramcars. And it's incredibly cheap - each trip only costs $2 per adult - about 16p!

But first a geography lesson. For those not familiar with Hong Kong geography (that was me until I first visited), HK is made up of 3 main areas; The New Territories, Kowloon and Hong Kong Island. To get between Kowloon and HK Island, you can either drive through one of 3 motor vehicle tunnels, take the Star Ferry or use the MTR (the cheap and extremely efficient, mainly underground, railway).

The Victoria Harbour between Kowloon and Hong Kong Island used to be 2 miles across, but after all the reclamation works which have been taking place in recent years, it is now only 800 metres at its narrowest point. When we were on the Star Ferry last week we had to wait ages to dock, as the ferries get across so much quicker now the distance has been so foreshortened, there's always a queue to "park".

To get across to HK Island to begin our mammoth journey we took the MTR, to pick up the tram at Kennedy Town. They were holding a craft market in Kennedy Town when we arrived, and we bought some great gifts for ourselves and friends.

And there began the start of our 18 mile journey, which took 1 hour 45 minutes and cost the princely sum of 16p each!!

This is a map of the island, tracing our route through.

The view as we left Kennedy Town on the best seats on the tram

A typical shop selling everything as we passed through Sheung Wan

And a little dim sum shop in the street

Here is the Western Market building, which is one of the oldest structures on HK Island and used to be a wet market. It now houses shops and a restaurant.

Now, here is something that absolutely
fascinates me here - the scaffolding on all the buildings. It's all made of bamboo which has been lashed together, there's not a metal pole in sight! And they use bamboo for everything, including the buildings under construction, some 80 or more floors high! I hate heights anyway, but to trust your life to some bamboo poles and string? Brrrrr, no thanks!

The next stops on the journey are in Central District, and this is where the scenery changes. Everywhere is full of people and bustle, and you reach all the huge office buildings and designer shops. There is Louis Vuitton, Bvlgari, Gucci, Prada and many more, in complete contrast to the majority of the country.

Sunday is the Philipino Maids day off here, so the whole place is full of women sitting out on their flattened cardboard boxes,
chatting; doing their nails; playing bingo; eating; in fact anything they can do all together in massive groups. The noise is unbelievable!

We also saw a Hong Kong Salvation Army band playing Christmas Carols here!

This is a cool photo from Admiralty, the next stage on the journey, of a new building containing the reflection of the old housing on the other side of the road

And this is the view through the front of the tram as it continued its journey through Wan Chai, Causeway Bay, and Tin Hau.

This is a very familiar sight everywhere. Ladies go round all the shops and market stalls (and bins in some places) collecting up the cardboard and tin cans. They squash it all down flat, load it onto their trolly and take it to the recycling departments, where they are paid a small amount for all they have brought.

Sometimes the ladies are very old and quite tiny, but their trollies are huge, piled high and very heavy. It's a tough way of life :(

And now we have arrived at our destination - Shau Kei Wan. we've travelled 18 miles, in 1 hour 45 and paid just 16p each.

This whole country is fabulous, but a place of such immense contrasts. The rich are very rich and the poor very poor. We regularly see very disabled beggars outside the Louis Vuitton shop, oh the irony.

And to end our day, we went back to Mongkok where we saw the strange performers the other evening. Mr Bodypop was having a night off, but Sharon Osborne eat your heart out......

Friday 3rd December

2010-12-04T03:57:00.013Z

We had a really cool day today!

We decided to stay quite locally to save our feet, as we've walked miles already.

The centre of Tsuen Wan is just up the road, and the first shopping centre went into had this as a wall decoration.

The plants are all real and living, in a sort of tiered wall hanging basket full of soil. I've never seen anything quite like it before.

We did some shopping and I bought some boots ready for the snow at home! The girls here all wear their boots all the time as it's winter here for them. And we're still in short sleeves! NM bought his 5th I-phone case! They have so many to choose from here.

On the way back to the hotel we walked through this beautiful park. They really know how to do calm here, the parks are clean and well kept, and the plants and trees are beautiful.

The Park had originally been Hoi Pai Village, a Hakka Settlement, which was demolished in the 1980s to make way for the park. The Chan Yi Cheung Ancestral Hall was left standing and is now home to the local stray cat families.

In the evening we met up with old friends Ceci and Stella, for drinks and a meal at a really nice bar in Knutsford Terrace, Tsim Sha Tsui. Knutsford Terrace is the Kowloon equivalent of Lan Kwai Fong on Hong Kong side.

We got chatting to some other Gweilos (foreign devils!), alias 2 ladies from Cardiff and Scotland, who live and work in Hong Kong. It was funny to sit amongst the mix of nationalities, chatting about English shops and the snow!

When we got back to the hotel at about midnight there was an awful racket of hammering and banging coming from our floor of the hotel. They have been renovating, but the noise is supposed to stop at 6pm. I rang down to the front desk and when I finally made myself understood (with NM laughing away behind me as I tried to describe "banging" and "hammering" to a young and bemused Chinese guy), he sent the manager to investigate.

We went out into the corridor and met a Chinese guy from the room opposite, who had got himself locked out of his room. He very politely said Good Evening, whilst looking like a Chinese Mr Bean, in his comedy pyjamas. We flew back into our room, and how we laughed! In fact we were still laughing an hour later; he so matter-of-factly told the stern faced managers "I have lost my key". We heard his door opening about 10 minutes later, so he must have got back in :D

Today we are revisiting Fish Shop Street and the Beads quarter, before going to Discovery Bay for a farewell dinner with NM's brother and sis-in-law, and his parents who are due to fly back to the UK tomorrow, snow permitting.

Thursday 2nd December

2010-12-03T02:52:00.014Z

...took us back to Hong Kong Park for a better look while everything was still open.

For such an enormous, busy and bustling city, they do a natural oasis of calm and beauty very well indeed!

The first conservatories are for dry plants, display plants and humid plants.

Everything feels so green and lush.

From here we moved into the aviary; 3000 square metres of meshed aviary containing over 600 species of bird, and 30 metres tall in its highest points!

These birds enjoying their tea are Red Lorys and black capped Lorys.

And I liked this little chap, who almost completely
blended in with the background

For a sense of irony, here's the view from inside the aviary...

On our way out of the park we stopped at the lake, which has such an abundance of fish and creatures

Today, Friday, we're staying locally for the day as our feet are feeling the brunt of all the walking! Tonight we're going out for dinner with friends, so if the internet holds up I'll try posting again tomorrow.

Tuesday 30th November

2010-12-01T04:26:00.008Z

Today we took ourselves to the local supermarket to stock up on provisions. I love shopping in other countries and looking at all their produce. Some things here are instantly recognisable, others not so. After our freshly prepared lunch, we went off to meet NM's parents in Central.

There we took the Number 15 bus up to the Peak, where a new Hong Kong Police Museum has just opened. We were allowed to take photos outside, but sadly not inside.

There is a large section on Triads, with actual photos of their ceremonies, and a room about the poduction of heroin! The recipes are on the wall, together with the branded packaging, and there is a heroin kitchen with all appliances intact! They do say that different methods are used nowadays, but I reckon it could give people all sorts of ideas!!

After the museum we took a taxi to The Peak for a coffee and rest, then went back down by bus.

We were walking through a very busy part of Mongkok when we came across these people. Oh how we laughed! Please excuse the fact the video is on its side and just enjoy!!! The woman is singing Chinese Opera, the tall guy is body popping, the one in the middle is well into it all, and we're not quite sure what the one on the right is up to...

We reckon they're a couple of sandwiches short of a picnic :D

And then this is what happens when you set yourself up to perform without a street licence...

Monday 29th November 2010

2010-11-30T02:30:00.012Z

A day later, at last, our hotel's "superfast internet connection" which was running at 1 mbps has let me online!!

On Monday, we had a bit of a shopping day. My daughter-in-law makes lovely handmade jewellery, so I went bead shopping for her. We roughly remembered where the shop was from last year, but still had to hunt for it!

The good thing about HK shops, is that they're all situated in a street of the same shops! Hence, Fish Shop Street - 50 or more aquatic shops, all in a line; Shoe Shop Street; Cloth and Materials; Beads & Haberdashery. How they all make a living I have no idea, as they all seem to sell the same things in huge bulk.

N_M started his trail of Fish Shop Street. They have so many interesting items over here that the UK won't get for another year or more, that he only went in 3 shops! Needless to say he'll be having another few visits before we go home.

From Prince Edward we moved onto Tsim Sha Shui to look at the beautiful Christmas displays at the entrance to Ocean Terminal. Those of you reading last year might remember the displays all featured clocks. This year I reckon they knew NM was coming, and the displays are all huge cakes!

The time and effort made here is amazing, and puts to shame most of the Christmas displays at home. And with no signs of any real snow.

We went to our favourite shop to get our tea - the Yee Shun Milk Shop!

And followed that by an impromptu musical performance by this lady in the street outside, who carries around her instrument on a trolley!

Our first couple of days

2010-11-29T03:06:00.010Z

We arrived safely, after what was for us, a fairly uneventful flight!

I hate to rub it in for those of you at home who are freezing, but it's really warm here! We're expecting temperatures of around 25 degrees, and we're still only in tshirts at 11pm. It's not too humid at this time of year, so it's really quite pleasant.

We had an early start on Saturday as our friend's 12 year old daughter was competing in the Hong Kong Open Latin Dance competition. We had a brilliant time, it was like watching an episode of Strictly Come Dancing, but up really close!

Ying is in orange at the left hand side of the picture, with her back to us. She got through to the final in the Samba, the Cha Cha and the Rumba. I did wonder how children would handle the Rumba, the dance of love, but Ying's dance brought tears to my eyes, it was so beautiful.

We thought we might pop this tiny couple into our pockets and take them home!

There were also adults competing, some of them well into their 60's, and some of whom were very good. It was a cool experience in a foreign country!

In the evening we took ourselves across to Discovery Bay, as it was our sister-in-law's birthday party. We lasted until about 10pm before jet lag took over and we retired back to our hotel!

On Sunday, we met up with N_M's parents, and went to Hong Kong Park, an oasis of calm in the busy city.

We went for a meal afterwards and then went looking at the Christmas Decorations.

There is a new hotel and shopping complex which opened in Tsim Sha Tsui since our last visit. They have a Gaudi Christmas exhibition in their foyer, which was an incredible and glamorous sight!

Everything is gold and sparkly! And housed inside, under the watchful eye of a burly security man, is a Christmas Tree made of real gold leaves, with a diamond studded star on the top. It was designed by one of Hong Kong's top jewellers.

And now it is Monday morning and we're off to do a bit of shopping. Laters friends!

The belated Honeymoon!

2010-11-23T20:32:00.001Z

Well, here we are again! A year on from our last visit, we're on our way back to Hong Kong again on Thursday, 5 months to the day after our wedding.

More adventures to follow.....

Our last few days

2009-12-12T02:50:00.011Z

Since our trip to Macau, we've been busy back in Hong Kong!

N_M has spent more time in Fish Shop Street - more than 100 shops in one road, all selling tropical and marine fish and all the necessary equipment. And it's all about a quarter or less of UK prices. He's like a kid in a toy shop at Christmas! The trouble is that a lot of his purchases are bulky, so I'm dreading the packing.

On one of our "shopping like a local" trips, we saw a little cat who was obviously being kept as a mouser by the shops, but was incredibly thin. So we went and bought a small tin of Whiskas and went and found her again. It took her about 20 minutes to consume the whole canful of food, bless her.

We have had several trips across the bay on the Star Ferry to get to Hong Kong Island, (that's the view above ^) followed by a ride on the "Ding Ding", the local trams which cost the princely sum of $2 (about 15p) each no matter how far you go.

The public transport here is second to none, efficient, clean and on time. It was rather funny last night as we travelled on the MTR in rush hour and there are "pushers" on each door with long red sticks to push you into the carriages so that the trains can leave, haha.

As I said before, we have lots of the athletes for the East Asian Games staying in our hotel. As I emerged from the lift the other morning I couldn't believe my eyes! There were security guards, Police and all sorts of fellows with radios and cameras all trained on the lift doors and lobby. It turns out that China's top athlete, Liu Xiang the former 110m hurdles Olympic and World Champion, is staying just 7 floors above us. There are roped off press areas and fans areas downstairs, but we are allowed to come and go as we please, albeit watched and no doubt photographed!

Yesterday we went to Causeway Bay for lunch with N_M's parents and a look around. There is a huge Times Square there with lots of very exclusive shops. But just outside Times Square, we chanced upon this little boutique and very happy looking elderly Chinese lady.... hahaha

Last night we met up with our friends for a goodbye meal, then took a long walk along the waterfront. The lights on the buildings are always special, but coming at this time of year they are amazing and must cost a fortune in electricity!

Going back to our hotel we took some snaps as we approached. The footbridge across the road is all lit up,

as is the roundabout outside with Doni and Ami, the mascots for the East Asian Games.

The hotel lobby also has a lovely nativity scene and Christmas decoration.

Well, we come home tonight, so have got most of today to do some last minute shopping and sight seeing. It feels as though we've been away for absolutely ages, but sadly work beckons again on Monday. So au revoir for now, thank you for reading and for your nice comments.

We've been to Macau!

2009-12-09T03:26:00.012Z

We've had an excellent couple of days in Macau!

We took the jetfoil for the 40 mile trip across to Macau from Hong Kong. The journey takes about an hour, and as we were in First Class, we were fed and watered as well! When we arrived, we took a shuttle bus to the MGM Grand Casino. All the shuttles are free of charge, there are so many casinos battling for business they all want you to get on board their bus.

We left our case with the concierge there and ventured into the casino, whilst Ceci went to check us in to our hotel room. These casinos have to be seen to be believed. It's like a huge very glamorous town, where everything you need is provided to help you to spend as much money as possible. And there was a hell of a lot of money changing hands there. Great shouts going up from tables where people were winning vast sums, and a huge crowd gathered to watch. And massive groans where money was being lost. You're not allowed to take any photographs in there.

We both wagered a little amount on the slot machines (we started with $10 each, about 80p, haha Last of the Big Spenders!) I'm normally pretty lucky in casinos, although I'm not a gambler and never have been, it just doesn't appeal to my cautious nature. As soon as I made a few dollars I cashed in the slip and started somewhere else. We had a couple of hours of slots, and I came out with $30 profit. Whoop!

We then met back up with C and she took us to our hotel. I've stayed in luxury hotels before for my job, but this was something really special. True 6* style.

We had a dressing room, a wetroom with huge round tub and shower,

a sitting room with sofas and huge TV, with a complimentary minibar as well as fresh fruit on the table.
And the biggest, most comfortable, bed I have ever slept in! I could really take to this lifestyle.

After a cracking night's sleep, we sadly checked out of paradise and went back to The Venetian for another look.

That is some place as well! All totally modelled on Venice, with the ceilings painted as though by Michaelangelo. There are rivers running through, with gondolas and their gondaliers seranading, all under blue starry skies. I haven't been to Venice yet, but I feel as though I know it now.

All the time we were in Macau it poured with rain, and I mean really poured like being at home! It is unheard of to rain in the winter here, especially over such a prolonged period of time. So we got rather wet as we wandered around the streets soaking up (in more ways than one!) the local culture.

After some delicious lunch at the Wynn Hotel, and becoming two of their Privileged Casino Members, we headed back to the ferry to return to Hong Kong.

Because Hong Kong is such a 24 hour place, it's not unusual to go out to the shops at 10 or 11pm, so that is what we did! All the shops and shopping centres are decorated with beautiful Christmas Trees and decorations, some of them quite unusual

And now it's Wednesday and we only have 4 days left of our holiday. And more tales to come!

Our latest trips

2009-12-06T14:12:00.007Z

Friday 4th December

Today we met up with N_M's parents to take a trip up to Victoria Peak. Instead of using the Peak Tram we decided to take the bus, which was a double decker and gave us excellent views all the way up. The weather wasn't the clearest, but we still got some nice pics looking down on Hong Kong.

We met a local grasshopper who was sitting with two of his limbs in the air, cooling off as they do even though it wasn't very warm up there!

Here is another pic looking down, showing just how green and lush it is up on the Peak.

Saturday 5th December

Today is the start of the East Asian Games, which are held every 4 years and this year is Hong Kong's turn. Our hotel seems to have quite a lot of the athletes staying here, and one floor and one lift has been closed off for their private use. We've seen the Mongolian Tae Kwondo team, lots of Chinese athletes and some from Korea and Hong Kong. I wish I recognised them, that would be very exciting! I had my photo taken with a giant pink panda - panda meets panda!

Security is pretty tight downstairs and we have Police vans outside as the athletes come and go.

We watched the opening ceremony yesterday and it was quite impressive, if rather long winded, as these things usually are. This is a photo of two of the singers on a huge lit barge in the Bay. There was a huge firework display at the end, which puts to shame anything I've seen in the UK.

Today we've seen some of the events on the telly, and they are unusual to say the least! Ballroom and Latin dancing Golds were awarded today, as well as Artistic Bicycle riding, both sole and twin events, much like rhythmic gymnastics on pushbikes - very bizarre to the western eye!

Last night we went to C's house out in Tai Po for a party and barbecue. It was my first ever experience of a Chinese party, and boy was it noisy! There were people playing mahjong all night, and poker, and food was cooked on the barbecue for many hours. Everyone was very friendly and welcoming and we had a good time.

Sunday 6th December

Today we have had a quieter day in preparation for our trip to Macau tomorrow. We're going to be staying in a 6* hotel for a night, I'm looking forward to that!

So more will follow in a couple of days when we get back.

The last couple of days...

2009-12-03T16:00:00.012Z

Wednesday 2 December

Yesterday we met up with N_M's parents and took the bus to Stanley, on the south side of Hong Kong Island. Some of the Colonial British buildings have been moved brick by brick from their original location in Victoria Harbour to Stanley.

This is the original Blake's Pier where the Governors of Hong Kong arrived from the UK and left after their tenure here. Chris Patten was the last Governor who left on the handover night, midnight, on 31 July 1997.

And this is the original Murray Building, built in 1846 as officer's quarters, and dismantled and moved brick by brick to Stanley in 2001/2.

We had a look in an Estate Agent's window there; the price of property is almost unimaginable. To get a 4 bedroomed house in Repulse Bay, just next to Stanley, costs 110,000,000 $ (about 9 million pounds) to buy, or 200,000$ per month to rent (about £16000). Totally ridiculous money, but small fry after a flat sold recently in mid levels for 750,000,000$ (yes, that's 50 million quid!!)

After our trip we came back and enjoyed an Italian meal in the shopping centre under our hotel.

Thursday 3 December

Today we took the bus to Ngong Ping to visit the Po Lin Monastery. This was our third visit, but as we left it much later in the day, most of the crowds had left and it was very peaceful.

The carvings on the outside of the building are quite stunning.

And here is the Buddha himself, just as the sun was setting.

After a brief visit to Tung Chung shopping outlet, we took the bus back to Mongkok for a wander round, then onto Jordan.

Hong Kong has a few "Yee Shun Milk Shops" and they're amongst our favourite places to eat. N_M always has the noodles with spam and a fried egg (sounds awful but apparently is ultra tasty!) and I have a cheese and egg sandwich.

How's that for a butty??!!

For pud I have the cold chocolate milk pudding, and N_M has the hot steamed milk pudding, which is made from milk and the white of the egg. The whole meal costs about £5 including Chinese tea and coca cola. Bargain, and extremely delicious!

And now we're back at the hotel ready for bed. We've got a few busy days coming up, so lots to tell afterwards. Laters!

Monday 30th Nov.

2009-12-01T03:03:00.005Z

And onto Monday. Mr N_M has had a bad foot since we arrived, so I thought it would be good to not go so far today and rest his foot. Remember that detail for later on!!

We walked across to McDonalds at lunchtime, now normally I don't go within miles of Maccy D's at home, but here it is good. I had a large salad with a cup of hot sweetcorn, while Sir had the Mega McPepper burger. That is 2 burgers with black pepper sauce - one of his favourites. Followed by a chocolate sundae for me and a chocolate pie for him. It was all delish!

In the evening we decided to go to Sha Tin, which is a long old trek in terms of miles, but just a few train stops with a couple of changes. We had dinner there, I bought a few bits and we looked round our favourite store - Citi Super, which is a Japanese shop and full of very interesting things. A new store had just opened in the centre, and the tradition is for all the other businesses and local dignatories to send flowers. It was an amazing sight.

On the way back I thought it might be good to get a bus, as they stop near the hotel rather than the fairly lengthy trek from the MTR station. Remember what I said about his foot? Right. So we're standing in Mongkok, looking at the fronts of buses for their destinations, when suddenly he runs for one. As we sit down, I just check with him that we're on the right bus.

Well, he says, it sort of goes in the right direction, but you can never be sure where they will stop. Cue the bus getting on a Highway (which didn't exist when he lived here) and shooting off for many miles past our stop!! We end up in Tuen Mun, the place he lived as a kid, it's now way past midnight and all the buses bar a couple of night buses, have stopped until the morning!

We then walk back and forth, hunting for a minibus or bus that will take us back to where we need to be. Remember his foot? Ha! Eventually we flagged down a minibus and got a ride back to near the hotel. The speed limit is 70kph on the highways, but this bloke is doing 118 kph, with his speed detector beeping until it sounded like exploding, haha. By this time it was almost 2am, and my feet were bloody sore as well as his! We're laughing about it now, but being stranded miles from home didn't feel too funny last night. Plonker!

Today we're meeting up with C and she's taking us out for dinner somewhere in Mongkok. Before that we're off to the computer plaza, alias Geeks Paradise. We may be sometime.......

The first couple of days

2009-11-30T03:18:00.009Z

We've had a fairly quiet couple of days, with lots of mooching!

Day 1, we had a walk through Kowloon Park. Hong Kong is very excitedly getting ready to host the Asian Games ( a mini Olympics for Asian athletes) from 5th December. The swimming and diving events are to be held in the park, but before that we were amused to see the following upcoming event....

The "Oldies Games" - any volunteers to represent the UK? Haha

In the evening we went over to Discovery Bay to meet N_M's parents (who are here for a month) and his brother and sister-in-law for dinner. A good time was had by all, but we were still quite knackered and headed back to the hotel to bed before midnight!

Yesterday we had a picnic lunch from the local bakers and headed off to meet N_M's parents at Central. From there we went up to the Mid Levels, via a myriad of escalators (yuck!) We exited the escalators at Hollywood Road and made our way to the Man Mo Temple.

From there we visited Possession Point, where the British first landed to colonise Hong Kong. On 26th January 1841, a Royal Navy ship docked close by and the officers came up the hill, erected a flag and British Rule began! They have now made a park close by, a haven of peace amongst all the noise and bustle.

The ponds are full of fish that should be living in someone's tank at home, but have obviously got too big and been released there. We saw giant cat fish, arrowanas and angel fish living alongside terrapins and koi carp. Bizarre!

Last night took us to the night market for some pressie shopping. I've really missed these markets that stay open for shopping until midnight.

Now it's Monday morning, the sun is shining and we're just deciding what to do today. Laters dear readers!

The journey 2009!

2009-11-28T02:55:00.003Z

We flew with Emirates this time (30kg baggage allowance in Economy swung it!). The flights were good, food plentiful, the staff lovely, but pity the same can't be said for the other psssengers! Well one other passenger whom we shall call Mr Mad for the purposes of this story....

This very large Nigerian guy sat beside me on the Dubai/Hong Kong leg, and the fact he arrived singing loudly was a bit of a good indictor of what was to follow. The loud praying that followed it unnerved me immensely, but he quietened down after take off. For a bit.

Despite his size he was obviously a waif, as he demanded food and liquor constantly. After his substantial chicken dinner, it was I NEED Beef, and abuse for the poor stewardess who told him there were no spare meals. He drank wine and lager until the purser intervened, and elbowed and kneed me constantly. That felt like a long 7 hours!

Everyone now has to fill in a health questionnaire to enter Hong Kong, and they're checking everybody's temperatures as you get off the plane and into the airport building. I felt boiling hot but obviously my core temperature must have been ok as we weren't stopped. As we collected our baggage Mr Mad was nowhere to be seen, so I'm hoping the shambles he made of his health and border control forms had caused him a little delay!!

The hotel feels just like we're coming home, except it has had a huge facelift since last year. It's very smart and we're in a newly refurbished room with a very cool carpet just like we had our eye on at home!

And when we woke up a little while ago the warm sun was streaming in, so I'm signing off now to go out into the hustle and bustle of HK life. Laters Taters!!

Our 2009 Trip

2009-11-01T10:03:00.002Z

Well, almost a year has gone by since my last post. I'm just getting prepared for another visit though!

We decided to travel a little later this year to get the full benefit of the Christmas lights and celebrations, which had been put up but not switched on last year. So watch this space towards the end of November....

Our penultimate full day :(

2008-11-19T17:37:00.011Z

We've had a really long, but excellent day, today.

We set off from the hotel on the 9am shuttle bus to meet C at the ferry terminal. We then boarded the jetfoil for the hour long journey to Macau.

On arrival, we chose one of the shuttle buses that are lined up to take visitors to the many hotels and casinos. We started our day at Wynn Casino, which has a superb show "The Tree of prosperity" twice an hour. I've taken some video which I can't upload until I return home, but here are some still pics to get an idea of the enormity of it.

People throw coins at the tree for luck and prosperity - sadly it didn't work for us!

We had a good look around the hotel and shops, then ate a deluxe lunch in one of the many restaurants!

We then took a taxi to go onto The Venetian, another enormous hotel, shops and casino. The scale of this place has to be seen to be believed - they have a St Mark's Square and Grand Canal inside, complete with gondolas and singing gondoliers!

We bought some superb Italian gifts for ourselves, then had a short while in the casino. The amount of money which is won (and mainly lost) is quite scary. We spent the princely sum of 100 dollars between us - about £8!

We had another taxi ride to Macau Tower, with a taxi driver who obviously doubles as Elvis in his spare time!, and found a very good restaurant for dinner. Some singers came round the tables and serenaded us beautifully between courses.

Then we went around the old part of Macau, which was originally under Portuguese ownership, and is still very European in design.

We saw the Ruins of St Paul's, a bizarre building where only one end wall has survived. The whole building behind it has disappeared, it's a very odd but beautiful sight.

After one more trip into a casino, where C tried to teach me roulette (I still don't understand it, hehe) we boarded the last ferry back to Kowloon. We said our goodbyes to C and look forward to seeing her again on our next visit.

And this is our last night, so the last post for now. We've got the joy of trying to fit everything we have bought into our suitcases tomorrow! So au revoir for now, dear readers. Thank you for all your comments and messages, we'll be back home and online again on Friday.

Tuesday 18th

2008-11-18T16:38:00.007Z

Just a short blog for today.

We arranged to meet up with some of N_M's old friends today. C, his ex-girlfriend, picked us up from our hotel and we went to a totally vegetarian Buddhist restaurant. I trusted her to make my menu choices for me! We were joined by another of his old friends, and had a very relaxing lunch.

We had vegetable fried rice, (much more exciting than the rice at home!), crispy aubergine slices, broccoli in cheese sauce, and vegetable "crabs claws". I didn't try those, but apparently N_M said they did taste quite uncannily fishy!

After lunch, C dropped us back in Tsim Sha Tsui for a wander around while she went back to work. We did more shopping, mainly for Christmas presents, then went back to the hotel for a rest.

Later this evening, we went on the hotel shuttle bus back to the shops and ended the day by Night_Market buying me a beautiful cashmere pashmina from the Night Market! Everywhere is just putting up Christmas lights, and the pandas in the hotel are already feeling festive.

We have an early start tomorrow, as we're joining C on a trip to Macau. We have to be down at the jetfoil at just after 9am, mustn't forget the passports!

Monday 17th

2008-11-17T15:56:00.010Z

Today we started by taking the hotel minibus down to Tsim Sha Tsui to visit "Sogo", an upmarket department store having a "Thankful Week" for its 15th anniversary. I had my eye on a nice handbag which N_M bought for me today.

From there we made our way by minibus to Kowloon Walled City Park. We visited the park last year, but had arrived just as it was getting dark. So this year we were sure to arrive in good daylight!

Despite all the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong, there are so many places that are truly peaceful and this park is one of them. We had a good look all around, starting in The Yamen, the only remaining historical building.

Whilst viewing the photo exhibition, N_M had a chat with a park official about the original walled city which he had visited many years before.

This guy had been walking round playing traditional music on a wooden flute which gave the park a very authentic feeling.

The gardens are lovely, with several pond areas with various fish in.

There is an exhibition area of bonsai trees which are perfect miniatures of the adult trees.

We also enjoyed the Chinese Zodiac garden, picking out the horse which is N_M's sign, and the bull which is mine.

Near the South Gate entrance is a tree which has obviously been removed from the old city walls and replanted, and is continuing to grow!

From Kowloon, we went back to Sha Tin, Mong Kok and Jordan, for yet more shopping!

Our second Sunday

2008-11-16T14:26:00.018Z

We've had a most excellent day today!

We decided to make the trip up to Fanling, which is quite close to the Chinese Border. We had 3 changes on the train, and the journey took about an hour. It cost the princely sum of £1 each!

We went to see the Taoist Temple of Fung Ying Seen Koon.

I'm quite drawn to the Taoist way of life - they believe in (a simplified form) no meat, no alcohol, and the reverence of all living creatures. Their temples are always so peaceful and calming.

Here is a picture of the ceiling of the area of worship.

All of the upper floors outside the temple are dedicated to crematoriums. The open fires are kept burning, and then the ashes are stored in walls of small boxes, with a photo of the deceased person on the outside. The most wealthy families have their own "room" of walls, whilst everyone else is laid to rest in smaller boxes on the lower levels. The families bring food and drink to place in shrines alongside the walls.

There was a lovely pond of koi carp by the crematoriums.

It is a very peaceful place to visit.

After leaving the temple, we took a little minibus to Lung Yeuk Tau for a walk along the Heritage Trail. It was quite an exciting ride, through little villages and out into the countryside.

The trail takes you through 12 centuries old villages of the New Territories, some of which are still behind stone walls. We started the trail at Tung Chung Ling Ancestral Hall, which was built in the early 16th Century.

It is being guarded by these two fellows!

Then we went along to the Tin Hau Temple. The main hall of the temple is devoted to the worship of Tin Hau and her guards, Chin Lei Ngan (who is believed to see things a thousand li [Chinese miles] away) and Shun Fung Yi (whose ears can hear sounds as far away as from heaven).

The oldest relics surviving in the temple are two cast iron bells which are kept in the east chamber of the rear hall. One of the bells was cast in 1695 as a gift from the Tang clan to thank Tin Hau after having their sons adopted by her. The other bell was cast in 1700 as an offering to Tin Hau so that the young men of the clan could be blessed during their journey to the city for taking the provincial examinations.

The next monument along is the Lo Wai walled village, built by the Tang Clan, which is not accessible to tourists as all the houses are still inhabited. They all live behind these walls.

We then took the minibus back to Fanling, and the train onto Sha Tin. There we had a lovely shop in the New Town Plaza, picking up some items that N_M had been searching for since we arrived! And now we're back in the hotel having a well deserved rest!

Saturday 15th

2008-11-15T15:39:00.017Z

We had an "interesting" start to the day today, with the toilet being blocked and the contents pouring all over the bathroom floor! Luckily only clean water from the cistern, but it felt as though it would never stop! A lovely housekeeping lady raced up with industrial gloves and a giant sink plunger, and sorted it out very quickly. Whatever she gets paid, it isn't enough!!

We decided to take a trip back to the Po Lin Monastery today, so after a train ride to Tung Chung, we caught the white knuckle bus ride to Po Lin. The monastery is still as beautiful and peaceful, and they keep the grounds so beautifully with the whole area being full of flowering plants.

The monks were called to prayer while we were there, so we could hear all the chanting and praying.

We then walked just along the road to Ngong Ping Village, where the World Vegetarian Food Fair was being held. Oh luxury, so much food that I could eat and thoroughly enjoy! We shared 5 dishes from 5 different countries - Mexico, India, Italy, Greece and USA.

To get back again I agreed to try the
Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car. Now for
anyone who knows me, (particularly R&A on the Manchester Eye!), I'm not that keen on heights. So this was quite a scary thing! We were put into a pod with 7 Germans and off we went. The views were pretty spectacular despite the weather being hazy and misty with the heat. I was ok until we passed the support pylons, then my stomach ended up in my mouth!

We had brilliant views of the airport and could watch the planes
take off and land from above. It's a 5.7km trip and you are pretty
high up, partly over the mountain tops and partly over the sea. I'm glad I went, although I wouldn't necessarily want to go again!

This evening we've been on the hotel shuttle bus into town, starting in Tsim Sha Tsui and then wandering about in Mongkok. There are so many little shopping arcades with tiny little Japanese shops selling all sorts of collectibles. We manage to find new things to see every night.

There is a chap who busks in Mongkok every night, he plays a
guitar and sings to his little Pekinese dog who sits on a stool next to him. On the floor by his pitch, there are lots of newspaper articles, and we read tonight that this is Danny Hui who was a famous singer in the 1960s. Sadly he became addicted to heroin and ruined his career, so he now makes his living by busking.

A little farther down the road a big crowd had gathered to watch a street artist. This poor guy is very disabled, with only one arm and part of a hand on the other arm. So he paints with the brush between his toes or in his mouth. He was doing some lovely work, which spectators were buying for $100 (about £8).

We're now back at our hotel to get a good sleep ready for tomorrow's planned trip to Fanling.

Thursday 13th

2008-11-13T15:26:00.018Z

We've had a lovely day today at Ocean Park!

We took the MTR to Admiralty, then bought our entry tickets and bus passes straight to the park.

It's been a really hot day again today, so we started by visiting the aviary. They have some beautiful birds, all flying freely around a large area.

Then we took an early lunch in the Chinese Restaurant in the Middle Kingdom. After lunch we took the very scary escalators up to the top of the park - there are 4 long escalators and I was a real wuss, hanging on for grim death to the handrail and N_M's hand! You do get some brilliant views from the top.

The first place to visit was the Chinese Sturgeon Aquarium, where you walk through with the fish swimming all around. The largest measured about 3 metres long! They can grow to 5 metres, so none were full grown yet.

Then we went to Atoll Reef - this is a great place, where you walk all around the reef just as it would be in the sea.

You get the sting rays, turtles and reef fish at the top,

In the middle are fast moving midwater swimmers, like tuna and surgeon fish.

Right at the bottom are the sharks, potato cod and garoupa. This Moray Eel and shark were particularly good friends!

Around the outside of the reef there are tanks containing some very unusual creatures, like leafy seadragons and weedy seadragons. We have a particular interest in these fish, and were pleased to take some video to take home.

Then we moved onto the Sea Jelly Spectacular, with its massive displays of jellyfish, with lovely lighting and exciting music playing. These are fascinating to watch moving around their tanks.

The cable car took us back down to the ground floor, and the Panda enclosure. The Chinese are very proud of their pandas, and whereas last year we only got a couple of photos of them sleeping, this year they were enjoying their lunch just the other side of the enclosure! It was amazing to see them up so closely, and to watch the way they shred the leaves from the bamboo branches.

When one of them finished eating, he went and had a big drink of water, went up the hillside to have a huge poo over the edge and immediately rolled over and went into a deep sleep - typical man!!

We also visited the Dolphin University, where in 2001 the first Bottlenose Dolphin was born by Artificial Insemination. The dolphins were all playing naturally in their pools and seemed very content,

then the sealions gave a short show. They are extremely well-trained, and while I don't altogether hold with animal shows, these did seem happy and very well cared for.

So we said goodbye to Ocean Park again, and left it with masses of building works going on in the lower level. It will be very interesting to see what else has opened next time we visit!

Going to Causeway Bay on the way back to the hotel, we were intrigued to see two young women offering "free hugs" to passers by. Needless to say, plenty of businessmen took them up on their offer!

Wednesday 12th

2008-11-12T15:51:00.006Z

Today we decided to have a quieter day. We are staying very close to the Headquarters of Aqua One, the aquarium manufacturers. So as we have spent a fortune on their products, we decided to try and find them!

We walked the length of Sha Tsui Road, looking for number 26-38. Eventually we came to "The Thriving Industrial Centre", which comprised 32 floors of offices and businesses. We got in the lift with all the workers, teehee, and went up to the 3rd floor.

And there was Kong Aquarium Products, a very unassuming looking office space, with tens of aquariums stacked up outside. A very worried looking girl came out to see what we wanted, so we quickly went on our way. I'd have loved some photos, but we were on security cameras all the time, so that may have looked suspicious and we may not have been allowed to leave!

Upon out return to our hotel this afternoon, I got all the laundry done (and ironed, Laura!) then we went out wandering again. The Christmas lights are all beginning to be put up on the buildings, so it's getting even more colourful.

Here is the start of the Christmas display at Ocean Terminal.

We're having an earlier night tonight, as we are getting up early to go to Ocean Park tomorrow.

Tuesday 11th

2008-11-11T15:58:00.015Z

Today, we started with a long lie-in, much needed after the amount of walking we have been doing!

This afternoon, we went back to Discovery Bay to see N_M's mum and dad before they left. As we got off the bus, they met us to suggest a trip to Peng Chau, 4km and a short ferry ride away. So we raced through to the ferry pier to get the local boat.

15 minutes later we arrived at Peng Chau - the name literally translates to a "small flat island", but in reality it is pretty steep and hilly! This is a very interesting little island which has been inhabited since Neolithic times, because it has a plentiful fresh water supply.

In the Qing Dynasty of the early 1800's, there were 11 limekiln factories which employed hundreds of people.

During the 1960's, with the decline of the limekiln industry, the biggest match making factory in south east Asia opened in Peng Chau. More than 2000 people worked there! The whole island is less than 1km square, so that is some feat! Having visited today, it is very difficult to work out how they can have all got there to work, apart from on small sampans and boats!

The island has also been a thriving fishing village for more than 200 years. There is a market on the water front, together with many small shops. The residents enjoy a peaceful existence with no cars, and the company of over 50 types of birds and hundreds of different insects. The Chinese white dolphin frequently appears in the waters around the island, but we weren't lucky enough to see one today.

This was a really interesting visit, and we were sorry to have to leave and head back to the mainland.

There we said goodbye to the parents, who are now on a flight back to England.

We took the MTR back into Mongkok and went to the Steamed Milk Company for our dinner. I have been waiting for 13 months for this visit - how I love that place!! I had a delicious egg sandwich followed by a cold chocolate steamed milk pudding, and N_M had his usual noodles with spam and egg!

As a very special gift, I am taking home a Steamed Milk mug and key ring!

And now it's time for bed, so we will say goodnight for now.

Monday 10th November

2008-11-10T16:14:00.009Z

Well it's quite a bit cooler today then it has been. We had a quiet morning, and went to the local bakers downstairs to buy rolls and buns for lunch.

Then we set off to meet N_M's mum and dad to take a trip up "The Peak", which at 552m above sea level, is the highest mountain on Hong Kong Island.

We went up on the Peak Tram, a funicular railway which was first opened in 1888 to take visitors up to a hotel there.

The Peak Tram 1888

The Peak Tram today

The Peak is full of trees that have been there for many, many years. Here is an Indian Rubber tree, with some people underneath so you can see the vastness of it!

The path around the Peak Tower is about 2 miles round, and one gets fantastic views of the whole of Hong Kong. Last year when we were here it was very hazy and the views were limited, but today was about the clearest it could have been.

The sun set while we were on the mountain, so the photos now show Hong Kong full of lights.

We came back down on the tram, and made our way on the Star Ferry back to the Kowloon side for dinner. N_M's parents are going home tomorrow, so this was our last night with them. We haven't laughed as much for ages, as we did with them today. Bon Voyage B&G!

Our first weekend

2008-11-09T16:24:00.006Z

The weather for the past two days has been extremely hot and humid, very unusual for November. It was 30.5 degrees when we landed, and equally as hot yesterday. N_M's parents are here still on their holiday, so yesterday we went across to Discovery Bay.

We had a walk along the beach, I had a paddle in the warm water, and we collected shells and pieces of washed up coral for our marine tanks. We then went and looked around the flat they have spent the last month in, which was very nice, and we all met up with N_M's brother and sister-in-law for a meal.

Today we went outside and discovered the weather had cooled down a lot. We had to wear long sleeves to go into town for a look around, before meeting up with the family again. We shopped at the Ocean terminal, well window shopped anyway, as the majority of the shops are designer - Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and a Vivienne Westwood store just like the Trafford Centre! After a very tasty pizza we went to watch the Symphony of Lights Show at the waterside. It's very impressive, especially in the current financial climate, as the electricity bills must be enormous!

We are here!

2008-11-09T16:00:00.004Z

We arrived safely on Friday, after a fabulous flight with Swiss. Neither of us had flown with them before, but we were very impressed. The food was decidedly yummy, with lots of cheese based products and Swiss chocolate! The in-flight entertainment was also good; we both played "Who wants to be a Millionaire" and both got as far as £500,000. If only the winnings had popped out of the seat in front.... :)

The hotel hasn't changed at all and they have put us in the same room as last year, so it feels like a real home from home.

Further Travels 2008!

2008-11-06T00:13:00.001Z

Well, here we are again. More than a whole year has gone by since our previous trip, and unfortunately all the blogging passwords had expired, so a whole new blog has had to begin.

Our previous adventure is detailed at http://travelsofanightpanda.blogspot.com

We're just setting out on a new Hong Kong adventure. Further posts will follow at the weekend dear readers! Watch this space.......